**Earlier**
"We could do a band!"
"Or a chorus?"
"A play about the Demon King, obviously!"
"Jingle jangle!"
"What?"
"Who cares, just write everything down!"
The Misfit Class energetically brainstorms, but as they look at the list, they frown. Such simple ideas don't give them any clear way to accomplish their goal written at the very top:
"A performance where everyone except Purson must stand out on stage."
"I can't think of anything…" Lead sighs.
"Me neither…" Iruma says likewise.
"I have an idea," says Asmodeus, who still has some creativity left in him.
"Oh? That's great! What is it?"
"Well, it's just as Professor Kalego said: We have to be more eye-catching than Purson. And a concert that I recently watched a recording of provides just the right inspiration."
He pulls up a video on his phone, and the whole class (minus the absent Rimuru) crams around him to be able to see.
"You lot really need a sense of personal space… Ah! Right there, look!"
Iruma pales.
It's him, in demdol crossdress, dodging magic attacks from Rimuru!
"A-Azz, I don't think you should be showing people this…"
"But isn't it a wonderful performance? I felt I just had to show the class!"
Iruma is reminded of the comical end to that terrifying Walpurgis. You and Diablo have too much in common!
"That's the first time I've seen you get excited over anyone besides the Sullivan twins, Asmodeus," Sabnock laughs.
Allocer stares closely at the small screen. "Actually, those girls look somewhat like…"
"No-one!" Keroli yells. "They're… no-one. Can we please just move on?"
Asmodeus realizes he's gotten off-track. "Alright, well here's my idea: Purson will provide the music, the girls will sing… and the boys will be dancers, dodging flames thrown by me."
The class of mostly boys quickly unhuddles, distancing themselves from Asmodeus.
"What the hell? That's an awful idea!" Lead exclaims.
"We sure will be eye-catching if we're on fire, huh?" Jazz nervously chuckles, backing away even more.
"It's perfectly possible, as I just showed you!" Asmodeus cheerfully insists.
"But I don't wanna risk my life for the Music Festival!" Lead fearfully retorts.
Those very words provoke a new menace.
"You… don't want to risk your life? Are you taking stage performance lightly?" Keroli asks him with a cold glare.
Now threatened by both fire and ice, the boys start to panic, jabbering anything they can think of to try make the two calm down.
It's no use. Soi vanishes as he predicts what's coming next.
With a devilish grin, Asmodeus sweeps his hand in an arc, leaving behind a trail of fireballs that hang still in the air.
"Now, it's time to practice! Dance like your lives are on the line!"
"They literally are!" Goemon yells, running away rather than dancing.
Unfortunately for the Misfits, a tragic miscalculation is about to occur: Prior to the Harvest Festival, Asmodeus spent many long hours battling against a multitude of impossible-to-hit opponents, and he is far too adept to have learned nothing from the experience.
His grin changes to a look of sharp concentration, and the fledgling fire mage flings the fireballs away at great speed, targeting every student before him at once with an aim honed against someone far faster.
"Gah!"
"Owie!"
"It burns!"
In a single volley, he laid waste to all the boys of the Misfit Class.
Besides…
"Woah! Azz, calm down! Are you okay, everyone?" Iruma asks in a panic, completely unscathed.
Asmodeus shakes his head. "That was disappointing. None of you compare to Master Iruma in the slightest."
"Hey, what about me?" The still-standing Sabnock jabs a thumb into his freshly-toasted chest.
"You don't count, you just took the hit with your oversized body."
"That's impressive enough, is it not? I've got half a mind to get in on this 'dodge the things I throw' game of yours!"
"Sabnock, not you too!" Iruma whines, right before he has to dodge a volley of spears.
"Ngh…" Asmodeus grunts as he gets a gash on his arm. "We're using fireballs because they're a greater spectacle, you brute!"
His retaliation comes swiftly, and then Sabnock fires back, with Iruma caught up in the crossfire and too busy dodging to escape.
…
The debacle ends once Asmodeus and Sabnock take each other out, leaving only Iruma and the girls still standing.
"That didn't go how I expected at all," Keroli mutters. "I really was hoping to see everyone dance, but he wiped them out in an instant…"
"I feel so sorry for everyone, why must we have such violence in our class?" Elizabetta whimpers.
"Today's definitely been a mess. Maybe we need someone to lead us in the Music Festival so we won't keep getting carried away."
"What about Iruma? He was a very good leader when we were getting the forms for Royal One."
"A-ah… me?" Iruma stammers.
Keroli grins. "That's just what I was thinking! All for putting Iruma in charge of the Music Festival?"
"Yeah!" Clara cheers, roasting a marshmallow over one of the many fires that have sprung up across the room.
" "y e ahhh…" " many others across the room weakly agree.
Asmodeus fails to make a sound at all, barely raising his hand before it flops to the floor.
Iruma flushes as he looks around at all the people counting on him.
"… Alright! I'll do it!"
His agreement is greeted with the least energetic cheer he's heard in his life.
"Anyway, I guess the first thing I'll do is…" his eyes scan the room, seeing far too many injuries. "… Go get Rimuru to help patch you all up! Hopefully she's finished with Professor Murmur, though I guess she could just clone herself if not…"
With that, he leaves the room, only to run into Rimuru and Ronove at that very moment.
Iruma POV
"WHY IS EVERYTHING ON FIRE?!" Rimuru exclaims in horror upon seeing the state of the nap room.
"Um, you remember that thing we did in that concert? Dodging magic?"
"Yes? What about it?!"
"Azz did that with fire."
"Why?!"
Rimuru then seems to put her panic aside, and with a sigh, she casts a spell to make all the fire fizzle out.
Even the scorch marks on the carpet, walls, and furniture soon begin to fade.
"I know you know a lot of spells, but you can even repair things?" Elizabetta asks, surprised.
Rimuru shakes her head, "That part wasn't me, it looks like the room just repairs itself. Really is the legacy of a Yodh, huh?"
She then nonchalantly starts rummaging through Jazz's bag.
"… Um, what are you doing?" I ask.
She frowns and moves onto Goemon's bag without answering, then tosses me a small jar from it and summons a second one into her hand.
"Burn salve. Some pharmacology students keep useful stuff they make in class on-hand. Help me with this, would ya?"
We go around treating all of our classmates' burns, and I start with Camui since I feel like Rimuru would be loathe to show any mercy to the poor bird. He seems a little annoyed that it's me treating him, though.
Rimuru cleans the salve off her hand after finishing with treating Jazz, but just as she turns around, Elizabetta stops her by sticking a handkerchief to her mouth.
"Mmmph!" Rimuru shoves the cloth away, "Hey, what was that for?!"
"You were drooling." Elizabetta explains as she again pushes the cloth at Rimuru's face, wiping insistently.
"Nngh…! Stop that… I was not!"
"Wait, you were drooling? While treating my burns? What the hell?!" Jazz complains, a little spooked.
"Fine… I was just thinking about toasted marshmallows while I was doing it, okay? Don't ask why."
"Oh, ahaha… Right, of course you wouldn't be looking at me hungrily…"
"Rest assured, I've never had any specific craving for people."
"Of course! … Wait, there's something wrong about how you worded that. And were you thinking about toasted marshmallows because we're toas-?
"I said don't ask! Next!"
…
With first-aid applied, Rimuru has Azz kneeling in the middle of the room, subjecting him to a thorough scolding.
"Seriously! Are you out of your mind? Do you give into violent desires even when not in your evil cycle?" she chides.
"I didn't mean to–"
"Not only did you act against the wishes of everyone else, you used way too much firepower! Literally!"
"… My deepest apologies, I must have become rather locked-into the mindset of combat from all the recent training and fighting."
"Even so, I know you're better than that, you treat fire as an art and can even make flames that are just comfortably warm. You shouldn't neglect those more delicate skills even if you're learning deadlier techniques."
"I'm sorry."
She usually only shows her disciplinary side with her subordinates… Maybe she sees Azz that way a bit, given that he's sworn to serve me.
Rimuru huffs, and then turns towards the rest of the class who jolt in fear after seeing her exercise authority for once.
"And? Did the rest of you manage to make any progress before getting roasted?"
"Um, here's what we wrote down…" Lead passes over the brainstorming sheet.
Rimuru stares at the page, though then passes it on to Ronove without much thought.
He examines it for a few seconds. "… Worthless! Did you put any thought into this at all?"
"I figured it seemed a little simple, but are those ideas at least a good basis to work off of?" Rimuru asks.
"They're all trendy ideas that would be popular among the students…"
My shoulders relax a bit, until Ronove continues.
"… In other words, you're not following your desires at all! Think for yourselves, commoners!"
"But we have to win this if we wanna keep this building. So it's better to be trendy, right?" Lead explains.
"Of course I understand that you have no choice but to win! Everyone does, they're all waiting to see what you come up with! So let me make it clear that there's never been a class that won just by following the trends, you'll just disappoint everyone with your weak desire!"
"Are you saying… that we should just do what we want?" I ask.
Ronove grins. "Now you're listening! You're a demon, so beat your enemies by showing that your desire is stronger than theirs! Only those who enjoy themselves are worthy of winning the festival!"
"What should we do, boss?" Jazz asks me with a smile.
"Yeah! Boss Iruma-chi!"
"Boss?" Rimuru smirks, having missed out on my appointment to the role.
I can feel everyone's eyes on me, so although I can think of an idea, my cheeks start getting red as I try to stammer it out.
"I, um, I think… Well, this is the first time that the whole class has done something all together…"
Everyone keeps watching me with patient smiles.
"I think… it'd be nice to perform together as a team. The fourteen of us are finally together, so I want something that'll let us all feel like part of a team, if possible…"
It feels embarrassingly sappy, but I missed these guys so much up to and during the Harvest Festival! I wanna make the last exam of the year something we can all have fun together with!
"Oh, I see…" Lead replies with a grin, and everyone seems to be smiling at my idea.
There's an impressed look in Ronove's eyes too. "Performing as a team in the Music Festival? There's a thrilling new concept."
A few half-hearted ideas for things we can do as a team go around, like having matching uniforms or doing team gymnastics, until Keroli grabs everyone's attention.
"Everyone, I have a performance in mind," she announces, a serious look in her eyes. "It'll be something gorgeous and extravagant that all of us can do as a team, but also it's the most brutal and torturous act that a demdol can subject themselves to: The Hell Dance."
Lead POV
We stare in horror as Keroli explains the concept that I've heard only rumors of.
She says that the job of demdols is to entertain demons, and that to take their entertainment to new heights, they came up with a six-person coordinated dance and formed the first demdol groups to perform them.
"Wow, that sounds amazing!" Iruma comments with delight, but he's taken aback as our glares move over to him.
I grab his shirt. "Are you mad? Six demons dancing at once? Do you understand what you're asking?!"
"U-um, it really doesn't sound that bad…"
You naive fool!
Most demons have terrible focus, and the very notion of perfectly synchronizing your moves with other demons for such a long time should inspire dread. Through repeat after repeat of rehearsed choreography, we'll all dance our way into the depths of madness.
It'll be a level of agony that'll leave our class in tatters. I don't think I would suffer, as I already went through hell with Professor Robin training my focus, but everyone else? The two secret demdols of our class, the Sullivan twins, might be the only ones who stand a chance.
Keroli has a distant look in her eyes. "I thought we could do it, but… the only ones standing in the end were me and her…" she whispers.
"What are you on about?" I ask.
"Ah! Nothing!" she quickly backpedals. "Anyway, I should admit, what I'm asking is impossible. It's already impossible with six demons, and there's a lot more than six of us. To complete a Hell Dance we'd all have to be in perfect harmony, even the briefest mistake from a single person could plunge us all into failure. We could even be demoted…"
Keroli looks dejected, until that ray of sunshine Iruma clasps her hands in his.
"You're asking for a Hell Dance because it's something you really want to see, right?" he asks with a warm smile, making the girl redden a bit. "I think it would look amazing! I don't understand why it's supposed to be so hard, but I know that everyone in this class is amazing too, so we should just go for it!"
He looks towards the rest of us expectantly.
Ngh… This guy…
"I'm in!" my hand shoots up before I even know what I'm saying.
The tentativeness of the class topples like a house of cards, Iruma's wingman and winggirl the next to agree with him, and then everyone else.
Keroli trembles with delight, now fully cleared to put us through a Hell Dance.
"Oho… It looks like Ronove's work is done here. Away, Naphtha!" the tall Student Council member declares, picking up Nafra and energetically leaving with a trail of roses behind him.
A bit later, as we're finishing up for the day, I hear her excitedly whisper something to herself while she thinks no one's listening.
"Finally, I get to see a bunch of cute demdols singing and dancing together!"
I guess she got her wish from the Harvest Festival after all… I just can't win, huh?
**The Next Day**
Kalego POV
Murmur has finally finished assessing all the students that Ocho deemed potential back-to-basics candidates, politely and formally delivering the report to my office.
He almost doesn't say anything more, but he keeps looking back at me with worried eyes, so…
"It looks like there's something you want to say, so out with it," I order.
He hesitates. "Well… Do you really need to keep fighting with Miss Tempest? It doesn't seem likely that she'll ever behave how you want her to. Or even that she should, for that matter."
"I'll admit that I've handled her poorly, but why would you think that her pride and arrogance is fine?"
"Well, I've only met her just the once, but to me it sounds like she just wants to be indomitable. I mean, we're talking about a student who's used to other demons seriously trying to kill her; maybe she comforts herself with the idea that she can't be bested in any way, and doesn't want you challenging that."
"That sounds like a load of– … No, wait, I can see it. But this isn't a warzone, this is Babyls."
"She must be convinced that Babyls isn't safe either, given that she's helped deal with two internal threats in just her first year," Murmur says with a shrug. "There's not much I can say as we really didn't get enough time to talk."
"Hmm. You've given me something to think about. But for now I have to speak with Rimuru about that bizarre incident with Pazuzu."
"Right, that… Well, try not to jump to conclusions too fast, I'm hoping that he'll turn up safe and sound and that the rumor was a ridiculous misunderstanding."
I summon Cerberus onto my shoulder in a puppy-sized form (terrible, I know) to rely on his senses for tracking.
"Of course. I hope it's a misunderstanding too."
…
I find Rimuru soon enough, and she seems to be tailing some people herself.
Three second-year boys headed into a classroom, one of whom is carrying a weapon.
This must be her stopping troublemakers as a Student Council member… It's so easy to forget she's on the council, given that she's such a troublemaker herself.
As the four disappear out of sight, I stand close to the wall, using Cerberus's hearing to listen in.
"Woah, the cannibal girl followed us!" the presumed ringleader of the trio exclaims. "Hoped to catch us off guard and make a meal of us, did'ja?"
"Enough of that nonsense!" Rimuru chides. "I was simply concerned about what kind of redecorating you had in mind by bringing a sledgehammer into an empty classroom."
"Oh, this? I think I'm perfectly justified to carry a weapon when this school has monsters like you roaming about. In the Student Council too! I guess we can't rely on those guys at all, it's every demon for themselves now."
"You're just looking for an excuse. I mean, if you really believed I'm someone who eats students, would you be sounding so smug when you three are alone with me?"
"Heh, it's rather funny to say we're 'alone with you' when there's three of us, but if you insist… Help! The cannibal girl is after us! She's gonna eat us!"
Some nearby students hear that yell, their attention now on the classroom.
"Oi, stop that…" Rimuru grumbles.
"Oh? Is yelling that a problem for you? I'm sooo sorry… Someone, everyone! Come quick and save us!"
Those who started paying attention with the first yell now become interested, and seeing that they aren't alone, their curiosity wins out and go to see what's happening.
I merge with the crowd as best as a teacher can, getting a view of the absurd scene myself. Rimuru is being gawked at like a rare beast dragged in from the wild, yet on the surface she's surprisingly calm for all the pressure of the situation.
"I'm not gonna play this game with you idiots. Just hand over the damn hammer already so we can all be on our way."
Rimuru holds out her hand, but the boy just smirks at her.
Dropping his voice, he says "Just try to take it. See what everyone will say then." The boy pauses, "Actually… I think we can get away with a little fun. Right, you two?" he confirms with the two other students with him.
He hefts the hammer up and walks closer to Rimuru, who backs up a little to keep the distance between them.
"What? Gonna frame my self-defense as me trying to eat you? Who'd even believe that?"
"I guess we're gonna find out–"
"Mister Cain Tubal," I address the boy by full name, "Will you explain why you and your lackeys have cornered one of my first-years?"
"Professor Kalego!" He snaps around in an instant, putting on a smile and lowering the hammer, "We were just here in this classroom when Rimuru came in and started eyeing us hungrily, I'm so glad you've come to our rescue!"
"Don't you spout that nonsense with me. I heard the rest of your conversation, and it's clear that you're simply exploiting a rumor to undermine the Student Council's authority."
"But… you were the one who started it, sir!"
"I did not say anything so ridiculous as that she ate someone! Now go stand in the corner and face the wall until I come back to deal with you, if you don't want to become a chew toy for Cerberus."
I punctuate my order by having Cerberus growl at the student, and he jumps to attention. "Y-yes sir!"
"And Rimuru, you'll be coming with me."
The girl shrugs and follows along, not putting up any of her usual fuss at being summoned. She doesn't say a word en-route to my office.
This isn't right at all…
Ironically, it hurts a little to see the absence of that obnoxiously self-assured attitude of hers, even though I've made so much effort to put a dent in her pride and arrogance.
Because I accidentally succeeded in the worst possible way.
All I intended to do was denounce what she had done in the Harvest Festival. But like pharmacology gone wrong, that unexpectedly reacted with other things.
Her uncanny prowess and violent history were already known throughout the school, so when I publicized her monstrous appetite as well… she became painted as a monster herself.
Some demons might embrace that, but not her; she's instead become somewhat meek and reclusive, avoiding being seen by others and cautious to not further damage her reputation. Yet it just continues to spiral downwards.
Damn all you fools for baring your fangs now that you smell blood.
Instead of breaking her pride and reforming her in the same way as Sabnock and so many other demons once full of themselves, I broke the very ground she stands on.
I don't mind being disliked by my students for my strictness. But this is the first time I've wound up sabotaging one. So for now, at least, I'll take the side of this menace.
Not a word is said by either of us until we arrive at my office.
"So, what is it this time? Gonna scold me because I didn't handle those three on my own like a 'high-ranking demon' should? Or maybe you think I shouldn't have confronted them in the first place. Or–"
"Be quiet! This has nothing to do with your actions today."
"Fine, then get on with it already. I don't have all day to spend getting lectured by you."
"This is no lecture, Miss Tempest."
"Well, that's a pleasant surprise," Rimuru said flatly. "What's this about, then?"
"The disappearance of Zozo Pazuzu."
"Oh, so an interrogation."
I grit my teeth to hold in my frustration with the girl.
Ignoring her insolence, I continue "...and what I have discovered so far about it."
"Okay…" Rimuru narrows her eyes at me suspiciously. "And why are you telling me anything? I'm supposed to be a suspect or something, right?"
"Because I choose to. No other reason is needed."
Rimuru just shrugs as a response.
"Tell me, did anything else happen outside of what you have already told me?"
"No, nothing… oh, well, there was that one girl that walked in after… before I could clean up the paint. There was no way I was gonna leave the room like that. It was a disaster."
"What girl?"
"Very short, black-haired, seemed to be friends with Pazuzu. I don't know her."
"Marnie Vine. I spoke with her already. She claimed that the room was covered in blood, and that you did… something to dispose of the evidence."
"I told you already, it wasn't blood. I don't know what that girl is on, but it looked nothing like the stuff, it was red paint. Dark red paint."
"Yet there is none remaining to prove that. You did away with it all, correct?"
"Because the room was a huge mess! It was a disaster and an eyesore and I couldn't leave it like that."
"The empty can of paint found at the scene does lend evidence to that, although many of the other Babyls staff remained unconvinced, thinking that an empty can of paint in the Art Battler's room is a common thing and not an indicator of what transpired between you and the Pazuzu boy."
"And what about you? What do you think?"
"I believe that it was paint, not blood, that was spilled."
"You're not gonna use this as ammo against me?" Rimuru asks incredulously.
I sigh at her distrust in me, knowing it's hardly unfounded. "I believed you were behind the troubles of the Battler Party, only for you and your brother to catch the real culprit. I was told you attacked a student during the Harvest Festival, but instead you were helping us capture another dangerous criminal. So, this time, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you're misunderstood instead of malicious."
Rimuru just gapes wordlessly, satisfyingly shocked, so I continue with little pause.
"I will explain your version of events to the Art Battler and ask them a few questions about Pazuzu to clarify some things. Perhaps they will be useful in getting to the bottom of this mess."
Catching up to reality, she somewhat bitterly mutters "You're being unusually pleasant for having just recently screwed me over after the Harvest Festival."
"Consider it recompense. While I will stand by the fact that your actions were your own and all I did was point out their absurdity, to single out and shame only one student in such a fashion was unfair. The precedent has been to stay quiet about the odd things that happen when teenagers unused to isolation are left in a forest for days."
"That's not much in the way of recompense then, just helping to allieviate the troubles you've caused me…" she muses, and then her expression shifts to the grin of a greedy merchant seeing an opportunity. "In that case, what can I do to convince you to lift my cafeteria ban?"
I harshly scowl at her for immediately trying to take advantage of the situation, but I've never been able to intimidate her and today is no different.
"... If you manage to stop being my #1 headache amongst the student body, I will reconsider that punishment," I relent.
"Deal!" she immediately yells before I can further consider my words. "I'll have Grandpa write something up for you to sign later."
"This is not a contractual obligation!"
"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."
"You worm! And I actually started feeling sympathy for you!"
"Sympathy? For me? That's new. Can I ask why?"
"No!"
Rimuru POV
Once I part ways with Kalego, I duck out of sight at the first opportunity and then with a bit of concentration…
[[Master, is there a particular reason we are freefalling from fifty kilometers above Babyls?]] Ciel asks as my hair floats upwards.
That far? Whoops, explains why the sky is black. I just wanted a bit of privacy so I could say this:
"HELL YEAH!" I exclaim with a fistpump into the thin air, "Everything's going my way again!"
[[It will certainly be easier to solve the situation with Pazuzu now. And are you thinking of making a new '#1 headache' for Kalego so you can nullify your punishment without bowing to his demands?]]
"Of course! It's his fault for saying something so exploitable, now I just need to find a willing accomplice…"
It can't be that hard, right? This is a school for demons, they get up to all kinds of bizarre things even without my encouragement. Surely one of them could be pushed into surpassing the 'Chaos Creator' himself, given that I'm not even really trying to cause trouble.
But to really sell it, they'd need to have a serious proclivity for mayhem…
I think back on some of the various troublemakers I've met here, trying to figure out who would be good to call upon.
Elof, who was cruel to my classmates because he was interested in me.
Those three boys just now that wanted to get me out of their hair so they could break things.
Shaoron and Zom, who found out I was 'weakened' and tried to explode me.
Schnell, who figured out how to change Ameri's personality, which really did cause widespread chaos.
Hmm, all of those are just malicious actors though. I don't want to encourage a villain, I need someone who could cause endless mayhem simply by playing around.
I contemplatively put a hand on my chin, the change in my aerodynamics making me slowly spin in the air.
[[I have a suggestion: There is an unofficial battler calling themselves 'Our Battler', with chaotically-aligned members who will fulfill virtually any request made of them.]]
Oh nice! So if I told them to 'go crazy and annoy the teachers to make me look better', they'd accept?
[[They likely would. It should be noted that Shaoron and Zom are members, and fit your description of 'causing endless mayhem simply by playing around'. Their attempt to harm you must have been a request made to them as it didn't look like they were just playing.]]
Dedicated as well… I'll have to have a word with them at some point, even if I'm still a little annoyed at their stunt.
[[Also worth noting: Ground.]]
Ground?
I realize I'm coming in way too hot and am about to crash face-first, so I immediately stop my momentum with Gravity Manipulation and gently lower my feet to the ground.
Whew… that was too close a call. If I hit the ground at that velocity, I'd end up spread all over the courtyard.
I look around to see if there were lots of witnesses to my near-mishap of a stunt, but only see Eiko in the distance giving a small-but-enthusiastic clap.
Wiping the nonexistent sweat off my brow, I head back inside the school to continue my day as normal for now.
Iruma POV
The instant our last class of the day wraps up, there's a rush out the door as everyone is eager to get to their Music Festival preparations.
Including me! I've been looking forward to this all day, and it feels like barely a moment before I'm in the nap-room-turned-music-room with everyone else.
It's the "Second Misfit Meeting of Musical Malady" as Clara puts it, and the agenda for today is to figure out a story we could perform that would let us have all the roles we need to all reach a rank of Dalet.
Ten roles need to be prominent enough for a promotion, with Elizabetta being the lead and most of the others being guys, which seems like a pretty odd cast to work with.
But Azz is really reliable, and he pretty quickly comes up with an idea: "Might I suggest we do a performance based off of the song Lilith's Red Carpet? I believe it would make for a tasteful historical piece, and that Elizabetta could fill the starring role perfectly," he suggests.
"Oh my! You really think that highly of me?" Elizabetta gasps.
"You might just have Lilith beat, hahaha!" Lead chuckles with a (respectfully gentle) slap to Elizabetta's back.
Rimuru makes a noise of curiosity. "Hmm? Er, mind bringing Iruma and I up to speed? I'm sensing a bit of a culture gap here."
"You haven't heard of Lilith? She was a queen of the ancient Netherworld, widely regarded as the most captivating demoness in all of history," Azz begins to explain. "The title 'Lilith's Red Carpet' refers to the path she walked through life being carpeted with countless men who vied for her affections."
"That really does sound like Elizabetta!" I blurt out, but then I realize I'm not sure if the comparison was appropriate. "U-um, I mean, like how everyone seemed to be falling in love with her during the Harvest Festival, it really was an impressive strategy…"
"Indeed, Master Iruma. But the song is about how Lilith turns away each potential suitor, for their love was not as pure and passionate as hers. How she awaits the arrival of the one that would make her feel complete, unsatisfied with any of the men who… Um, Rimuru, why are you looking at me in disgust?"
Rimuru was glaring at Azz with increasingly obvious disdain through that whole description.
"You said this was a 'tasteful' historical piece?" she scoffs. "That just sounds like a nightmare, having to deal with constant romantic advances. And I wholly disagree with the message that someone who's rejected hundreds of men is still waiting for the right guy to shoot their shot, it should be seen as entirely inexcusable to not take the hint and back off."
Elizabetta puts a worried hand on her cheek. "But I think it sounds wonderful being that popular! I understand that you yourself wouldn't like it, but oh, to be showered in endless gifts and affection like Lilith…" she sighs dreamily, having quickly charmed herself with the idea.
Keroli raises a palm with a stern look on her face. "No, Rimuru has a point, there really is such a thing as being liked too much."
"See? She gets it!" Rimuru faintly smiles now that she has a backer. "You'd have to deal with all sorts of nonsense if you were like Lilith. Forget being able to go out in public without getting harassed."
"Mhm," Keroli nods, "And you'd probably have people sharing creepy pictures of you being shared online."
"As well as people in your social circles trying to cross certain lines…" Rimuru grumbles with a harsh glare at Camui, who cowers away.
"There'd be people getting really pushy about marriage…"
"And sudden marriage proposals from complete strangers…"
"Stalkers who want to find out where you live…"
"Crooked nobles trying to kidnap you for unspeakable purposes…"
"Fans begging for– … Wait, you're going too far, that example is just gross."
"Or trying to use mind-control magic to the same end…"
"Okay, that's enough, we've made our point!"
"I haven't made mine! There's so many creeps who take all the fun out of looking cute!" Rimuru whines.
"It's a package deal, get used to it," Keroli shrugs, before looking down and seeming to do some mental arithmetic. "Hang on, if you were venting, up to what point were those personal grievances? Have you seriously gotten on-the-spot marriage proposals?"
"Eh? They were all personal grievances. Though, you were probably right to stop me before I got into the real bad stuff, haha…" Rimuru chuckles, the kind of mirthless laugh made only to try lighten the mood.
Keroli pauses.
Then she sits down on the floor, and hugs her knees.
"Wow, I think you broke something inside her…" I worriedly comment, since no one else seems sure what to say and it'd be too awkward to let the silence continue.
"Sheesh, why does everyone act like that whenever I complain about something?" Rimuru grumbles.
You say that, but I know how angry you feel about it yourself… Hard to forget when the first time we met you exploded at me just for thinking you were pretty.
Lead at least seems a little less shellshocked than everyone else. "Honestly, I'm kinda getting the impression that there's something horribly wrong with your life, like are you cursed or something?"
"Hey, I live a great life! Blessed, not cursed! You just don't hear about the mundane and good stuff, plus those last few examples I gave haven't happened to me in years."
"Years? But that would mean…"
Rimuru facepalms. "Oh no, I said it again…"
…
"It took five minutes for you all to calm down," Rimuru mutters after finally getting everyone to stop threatening to call various adults.
"And yet I feel like I aged five years…" Azz sighs with a hand on his head. "Well, having heard Rimuru and Keroli's thoughts, how are we feeling about Lilith's Red Carpet?"
No one dares to offer a word of support.
"I figured as much. But we still need an idea we can use…"
"Do you have any ideas, Rimuru?" I ask.
Rimuru knows a lot of cool stories so I'm sure she can come up with something!
"Nope," She answers kinda glumly.
I guess talking about that sort of thing must be hard for her.
I decide that a hug will help. I know Rimuru likes being hugged. And that's what siblings do when one is sad, right? I think so.
So I hug Rimuru.
She's a little surprised, though less so than the previous times I've randomly hugged her, and she gives me a squeeze back.
"Hehe… Oh, Iruma. Never stop being so sweet."
"Are you okay?" I ask.
"Yeah, I'm okay."
Jazz chuckles. "Haha, you and your brother act way too adorable sometimes."
"Shaddup, you! You ruined our sibling moment!" Rimuru snaps back in embarrassment, and I make a choked noise from her briefly squeezing way harder. "Oh! Sorry 'bout that, Iruma." Rimuru loosens her hug and pats my back twice before fully letting go.
"Riri's a big softie, huh?" Clara giggles, poking Rimuru in the cheek.
Rimuru just crosses her arms and pouts, earning herself many more cheek-pokes.
As I leave Clara to her persistent prodding of the pouty Demon Lord, Jazz nudges Allocer. "Hey, you're the biggest bookworm here, why don't you tell us a good story we can use?"
Allocer puts a hand ponderously on his cheek. "I could, but I believe that the Sullivan Twins would have access to far more interesting tales than I."
"You mean because we come from far away?" I ask.
"That too, but I was thinking more about the unique privilege of the Three Greats, and the lore it would give your family access to."
I simply tilt my head in confusion. Azz picks up on my cue and explains for me.
"Master Iruma, I believe he is referring to their role in interacting with high-ranking members of other species. Even the lower nine of the Thirteen Crowns are almost entirely excluded from such politics, as it takes a great deal of wisdom and magnanimity to foster relations with such whimsical and alien beings."
"Whimsical and alien…?" Rimuru mutters in a voice too quiet for anyone else to notice.
"Oh, I understand!" I exclaim, fist-in-palm. "So would that include people like the genie Thoth?"
"Indeed! You must already be as talented a negotiator as your grandfather, to be able to have Thoth give you the Seed of Beginnings."
I suppose it must have been Grandpa who convinced him to take part in the Harvest Festival… Now I wonder if he was waiting in that cave for the whole event.
Allocer shakes his head remorsefully. "I immensely regret that I didn't search for the Legendary Leaf, it would have been truly interesting to speak with one of the majin. Now I might never get a chance in my life."
"Ah! I just had a great idea! What if we spoke to Thoth right now?" I suggest.
"… What?"
"Thoth knows more stories than anyone else, he was sad that he already knew just about every story in the Netherworld. If I tell him another story he doesn't know, I'm sure he'll recommend the perfect story for us!"
"But how will you reach him?" Azz asks.
I'm already finding his contact in my hell-phone, and in just a few seconds I'm calling him.
"Oh… um, hi Mr. Thoth. It's Iruma."
"Mr. Thoth? I suppose I don't mind that. Congratulations on winning the Harvest Festival, by the way."
"Wow! Thank you so much!"
"Did he just say Mr. Thoth? I swear he just called that person on his phone Mr. Thoth." Lead says skeptically.
Azz breaks into a hearty laugh.
"You truly are amazing, Master Iruma! Gaining the favor of such a being and receiving his phone number!"
"Thanks Azz! Uh… do you mind if I put you on speakerphone? My classmates are all here and wanna talk with you too."
"I'm to speak with your whole class? What is this about, exactly?"
"Well, I was wondering if you'd want to trade stories! You see, we're–"
"Then a phone call is too impersonal! You're in the Royal One right now, aren't you? Stay right there!"
He hangs up, and I wait in confusion for a several seconds until we heard a *THUD* coming from outside, and my classmates' eyes widen in shock.
"You summoned one of the majin?!" Allocer asks me in disbelief.
"Ahaha, I didn't expect that to happen…"
We head out of the Royal One's nap room and to the front door, all of us feeling some level of trepidation for what may lie outside.
With Azz's help I push open the enormous doors, and we're greeted by…
"Woah! A huge face!" Lead exclaims.
"It is good to see you again, Iruma. As well as your classmates I've heard much about."
"Hi there! It's good to see you too!"
Thoth is lying belly-down on the lawn in front of the Royal One as he's too large to fit through even that colossal doorway (not without crawling, at least), and I wince as I imagine what a commotion this must be causing for the school.
I'll just try to ignore my phone blowing up with texts in my pocket…
"Pardon me, but what is the appropriate etiquette for addressing the majin? I'm afraid I was never tutored for this situation," Azz says regretfully.
"There are no particular considerations that I would ask for myself, it is not as though it makes sense to compare status as our kind live very separate lives. Though someone such as Princess Shura would be an exception, of course."
"One letter off, huh?" Rimuru quietly jokes to herself.
Shuna's a princess? I didn't know that. I just thought she was a nice (and sometimes scary) lady that likes to cook and make clothes for Rimuru…
Allocer tries to speak, but before he can get a word out:
"I'm sure all of you have many things to ask, but I would like to speak with Iruma now."
"Oh! Um, well…" I start as I'm put on the spot.
I spend several minutes explaining how we all need to reach rank Dalet in the Music Festival, who we need to give the most attention to, that we want to do a song and dance, and that we're hoping Thoth can give us the perfect story to use since he says he knows every story in the Netherworld.
"Hmm, yes, I see… Have you considered Lilith's Red Carpet?"
"We proposed that idea earlier and it turned out to be surprisingly unpopular with the girls…" Azz mutters, looking guilty about how uncomfortable that conversation got.
"Yeah, do you have any other good ideas? Ones not including women being swarmed by desperately-thirsty men?" Rimuru snarkily asks.
"Oh yes, I know many, many stories both ancient and new."
"We may as well go for ancient, right?" Lead suggests. "I mean, it'd definitely set us apart from the others."
"Yeah, the older the better. Let's go with something that nobody in our school has heard before!" Jazz agrees.
"In that case, there is The Raising of Babel, The 10,000 Year Drama, How Music was Brought to the Netherworld…"
"Ooh! That one, that one!" Clara eagerly chants.
"No, sorry, I just remembered that one is subject to Border Control's information restrictions."
"Awwww…"
"There's also The Vanishing of the First Demons... Though so little of that event is known that you couldn't tell a story from it… Oh! How about Chordia's Requiem? That is a very unfortunate tale, but an interesting one."
"Could you tell us more about it, Mr. Thoth?" I ask our imposing, ancient storyteller.
"Very well…"
…
"Wow!"
"It's perfect!"
"We just have to go with this, right?"
"For sure!"
"Wait… so what happened to Chordia at the end there?" Rimuru asks pretty seriously.
"She died. Duh!" Clara says playfully.
"No… no," she shakes her head, "I think it's more complex than that. A single stab wouldn't kill someone who's that strong."
"She died of the sadness of betrayal, Rimuru," Elizabetta explains in a somewhat solemn tone.
"But she incarnated at the start… what if she just… abandoned her body and is still out there somewhere? That would happen by default unless she rendered herself mortal, which there are certain benefits to but she didn't seem like the type…"
Rimuru looks at Thoth questioningly.
Thoth looks back sharply, studying her closely.
"EXCUSE ME?!" Rimuru suddenly screams, taking a step back and protectively crossing her arms over her chest. "What do you think you're doing?! I am not above throwing hands with a genie, I'll have you know!"
"I am simply keeping my eyes open for something, young demon. There is no need to take it personally."
"How can I not take it personally when you use intense analysis magic on me like that?! That is a complete invasion of privacy!"
"It was not your body I wished to inspect, rather that was as far as I got through your wards before you started yelling at me. I did not even think you would notice."
"So you wanted to look at my spirit or soul or something? Somehow, that seems even pervier!"
"As a genderless being, I am incapable of being 'pervy'. Surely you must understand that."
Rimuru grumbles angrily to herself, but I can't quite make out what she was saying.
"I don't get it, why is Rimuru so angry?" Elizabetta ponders.
Lead takes a step back. "Yeah, the two of them just started arguing out of nowhere…"
I don't get it either… Though, she said something about analysis magic, is that kind of like Magic Field? Rimuru once gave me a telling off for almost looking into her room with it, so maybe this is a privacy thing…
Then it clicks.
"Oh! She's mad because he used magic to look under her clothes!" I smack my palm in realization.
Wait, maybe I shouldn't have said that out–
" "He WHAT?!" "
Thoth quickly finds himself under the withering stares of the whole class, the glares coming from the girls especially harsh.
"Now… Settle down, I was conducting official majin business, you see there's someone we've been looking for and I thought that Sullivan may have… Iruma, you can back me up on this, can you not?"
"Uh… Is this about that person you mentioned I should avoid?"
"Correct! Surely you must agree that it is important we find them?"
"Not particularly…"
"Not particu–?! Iruma, you're making me look like a villain right now, the stares of your classmates are starting to hurt…"
"Well… just because this person is powerful doesn't mean they're bad. Maybe they're just on a nice vacation here? They haven't done anything wrong, right? Can't we just leave them alone?"
"And whoever they are, you can't be creeping on teenage girls to go looking for them… Sheesh, and we were just complaining about the things pervy men do…" Keroli mutters.
"Again, I have no gender, demons just prefer to think of me as male because of my solid physique and deep voice."
"Anybody can be a pervert," Rimuru says with her arms still crossed. "Gendered or genderless, it doesn't matter. Stop making exuses."
"Off with his head!" Clara shouts with a fist in the air.
"Slay him for the sake of teenage girls everywhere!" Keroli roars.
"Death to perverts!" Camui agrees.
"You're not one to talk, Camui!"
"I am not a pervert, I am a gentleman with taste!"
Kalego POV
A battle cry? Loud stomping? What tomfoolery are the students up to now?
I take a peek through my office curtains and see Thoth the building-sized genie running past, followed by my own students who are yelling and all armed with weapons, and then Iruma who's exasperatedly trying to get them all to stop.
I wish I didn't see that.
I sit back down right as I hear a loud *CRACK* that I can only assume was a collision between Thoth's head and the school archway; and given that I can still hear his heavy footfalls running off into the distance, there's now an archway in need of repair.
It 'inspires' me to start hitting my own head against my desk.
Detention. Detention. Detention. You're all getting detention, none of you are free from sin.
Rimuru POV
Back inside the nap room, my classmates are actually using it for relaxing now instead of just Music Festival prep, as the less physically-active of them are a bit tired-out having sprinted after Thoth while carrying weapons too heavy to fly with.
"That's probably something I'll never forget…" Jazz sighs, flopped over a beanbag.
Iruma frowns. "I feel kinda bad about it though, I told him that I wanted to trade stories but even though he gave us a great story for our performance we chased him out without telling him one in return…"
"What were you gonna share with him? First Love Memories?" I ask.
"Yeah, I could just ask to meet up with him later…"
He pulls out his phone and winces as he sees the sheer number of texts asking what the hell the Misfit class is up to, as well as a few missed calls.
Then he gets another text.
"Oh, this one is for you," Iruma says, and passes me the phone.
"Please relay the following to your sister:
I am terribly sorry for my transgression, so I suppose I should explain what I was doing: I have been told that an alarmingly powerful individual currently exists in the Netherworld, and with the timing so close to the reveal of Sullivan's grandchildren, it seemed possible that he had made some *very* exotic adoptions. If you don't believe he'd convince a planet-destroying entity to pose as a schoolgirl, you haven't known him for long enough.
With your impressive strength and unusual knowledge, analyzing you seemed all the more necessary. But physiologically you appear to be a Netherworlder after all, so I do hope you'll let bygones be bygones."
"Surprisingly on the nose, huh?" I nervously chuckle, stunned by Thoth's accuracy.
"I guess I should have told you about it beforehand, since I already knew what he was looking for…"
"Don't sweat it, it all turned out fine in the end."
Man, this doesn't make sense though. How was my true power level ascertained when I've never fully unleashed my aura in this world? And after a surface examination of my clearly-not-a-demon body, he decided I'm a demon! What's that about?
[[The technique employed is a mystery to me as well. But as for why you were determined to be a demon by that rude creature, I suspect you'll find out soon enough.]]
Ehh? Can't you just tell me now?
[[It would be far more amusing to let you find out on your own.]]
At least try to hide your subterfuge!
…
"Alright! It's time for you all to be assigned your roles, so take note of them!" Keroli announces with a gesture towards the blackboard:
Music Group:
Main Trumpet: Soi
Support: Iruma, Rimuru
Dance Group:
Director: Keroli
Lead Role: Elizabetta
Support Roles: Asmodeus, Lead, Clara, Sabnock, Picero, Goemon, Allocer, Jazz, Camui
"Hang on! Why are Azz and Lead dancers while Iruma and I are musicians?" I protest, a little bewildered at being suddenly told I have to learn an instrument. "I thought you didn't want any high-ranks on the stage."
"We can't just make all of you musicians either, Soi's trumpeting needs to stand out and that would be difficult with four supporting players."
"Then why this split? Azz probably has way more musical skill than me given his noble upbringing, whereas I–"
"You and your brother are great at dancing, yes. But that's exactly the point! You'd steal the show, how many times must I tell you this?!"
"I can actually play the piano too, just a little bit… Could I do that?" Iruma asks.
He can play the piano? Shoot, I thought we'd both be equally-inexperienced like when we were studying Netherworld history, but now I'm worried I might be the bottom of the class in music literacy… at least I'm not tone deaf (like Hinata).
"The piano? That's perfect, as our leader you'll be playing the instrument that leads the performance," Keroli says with a snap of her fingers. "What about you, Rimuru? Is there anything you can play?"
"Uh… I spent all my practice time getting really good at martial arts, so when it comes to instruments…"
Keroli sighs. "So, nothing. I didn't really expect that, but I guess it's fine if you work hard."
"Chose violence over violins, huh?" Jazz jokes.
"I wouldn't say chose, but yeah," I reply.
"So what instrument do you wanna go with?" Keroli asks.
I think for a bit, frowning as I make my considerations. "I'm not one to get stage fright, but the idea of having to learn an instrument from scratch then play for an audience however bad I am is a bit… Well, can't I just be a dancer instead?"
"Aren't you used to things waaay scarier than this?"
"That's the thing, I'm used to them. I don't want the new problem of being called 'an uncultured noble who can't even play music and just eats people instead' or whatever nonsense folks start saying about me next. Besides, I have the perfect surprise solution for being on stage without interfering with everyone's place in the spotlight:"
With a twirl I change outfit, now wearing a fancy tailcoat as well as…
"Tada! A mustache and some detection-warding glasses! Everyone will be like 'Goodness me, I have no idea who this distinguished gentleman on stage is', making sure you get allll the credit!"
"Of course they're both crossdressers," Lead chuckles, trying to hide a grin.
" "Lead!" " Iruma and I simultaneously blurt out.
"Anyway, we've already been over this, your brother preemptively forbade you from wearing a mustache for the performance. Tough luck!"
"…Eh?"
"You're taking what I said out of context! Now I sound like some kind of control-freak!" Iruma complains, glancing at me as though worried about my reaction.
"Am I really that predictable?" I mutter, and then I put my hands on his shoulders, looking up at him with pleading eyes. "I mustache you to reconsider…"
Iruma looks entirely unsure what to make of all this. "…You should probably just give in, Rimuru. Besides, you're the most talented person I know! I'm sure you can do this!"
Jazz nods in agreement. "It's for the best that you're starting from scratch, you'd probably blow everyone away in the performance if you had experience."
[[I'm sure you'll do great if you really try!]]
Some of my other classmates give their supportive words as well, and my cheeks redden (partially concealed by my fake mustache) at the sudden siege of praise.
"Hey, I think Shuna is actually the most talented person you know," I correct Iruma, trying to hide my embarrassment. "But it'd be pretty cool to perform like her and Shion, one of us playing the piano and the other playing the violin…"
"Then let's do that! I'll play the piano, and you'll play the violin!" he cheerily decides before I have any time to reconsider. "It'll be so much fun!"
I guess it's violins over violence now.
Author's Note: Again, thank Bellatrix for all her help and hard work with this story!